Method of reclaiming automobile radiators



Dec. 29, 1931. A. o. MASON 1,838,231

METHOD OF RECLAIMING AUTOMOBILE RADIATORS Original Filed Feb. 10, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l Dec"29, 1931. A. o. MASON I METHOD OF RECLAIMING AUTOMOBILE RADIATORS Original Filed Feb. 10 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 VII/lil/ll/l/l/l/l/l/A 4752mm?? firc/u'bald O. M5070 WW, JVW V Patented Dec. 29, 1931 NE'IED STATES PATENT GFFICE ARCHIBALID O. MASON, OF HIGHLAND PARK, ILLINOIS METHOD OF RECLAIMING- AUTOMOBILE RAIDLATORS Original application filed February 10, 1927, Serial No. 167,337, Patent No. 1,725,990, dated August 27, 1929. Divided and this application filed August 16, 1929. Serial No. 386,428.

The invention relates to a method for reployed, the improved method is preferably claiming automobile radiators, and particucarried out in an apparatus illustrated in larly for separating the plates .and tubes of the accompanying drawings, and more parthe type of radiator that is formed of a pluticularly set forth and claimed in a co-pendrality of tubes disposed in longitudinal and ing application filed in the United States 55,

transverse rows between upper and lower Patent Ofiice by me February 10, 1927, Serial headers, and a series of parallel, heat-radiat- No. 167,337, and patented August 27, 1929, ing plates mounted on the tubes. In radi- No. 1,725,990, and of which the present appliators of this type, the tubes are usually cation is a division.

formed of copper and the plates and headers In the accompanying drawings: 6

of yellow brass; the ends of the tubes are Figs. 1 and 2 are partial plan and longisoldered to the headers and the plates are tudinal sections respectively of the appaheld in position on the tubes by a small ratus. amount of solder. In recovering metal from Fig. 3 is a detail section on the line 33 discarded radiators of the type referred to, of Fig. 1.

it has been customary to smelt them in a suit- Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view illustratable furnace. This method results in coning the method of stripping the plates from siderable loss, chiefly on account of the OXlthe radiator tubes. dation of some of the zinc contained in the Fig. 5 is a detail section on the line 55 20 brass headers and plates and the recovered of Fig. 4. metal is of much less value than would be the Fig. 6 is a detail vertical section illustratcase if the brass headers and plates were ing another form of apparatus.

mechanically separated from the copper Fig. 7 is an elevation of the type of radiatubes. If attempt is made to first heat the tor to which the present reclaiming method 25 radiators to melt the solder and then pull is applied. the tubes and plates apart by the application As shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 7 the type of of force lengthwise of the tubes, the plates radiator treated comprises headers a and b, twist and bind firmly on the tubes. longitudinal and transverse rows of copper In accordance with the present invention, tubes 0, the ends of which extend into and 30 the headers are first removed from the ends are soldered to the headers, and a large numof the tubes and the mechanical separation ber of radiating plates d through which the of the plates and tubes is effected by the aptubes extend and which are secured in paralplication of pressure to the longitudinal lel, spaced relation on the tubes by a small edges of the plates, such pressure being apamount of solder. Usually, also,the radiator plied to the plates, one or two at a time, and is provided with a steel supporting bar 6 to the portions of the plates between the perforated to receive the tubes and to which transverse rows of tubes. It is also noted the latter are fixed adjacent their lower ends. that the pressure is preferably applied si- This bar serves as a means for securing the multaneously to all of the portions of each radiator in position on the automobile chas- 40 plate between the transverse rows of tubes sis. and in a direction substantially transversely In recovering metal from such discarded of the tubes and to some extent longitudiradiators in accordance with the present in nally thereof. In this Way, the plates, which vention, the headers a and b which, as stated, are quite thin, are torn along the lines of the are usually formed of yellow brass, are first r transverse rows of tubes and so stripped removed. This may be effected by heating therefrom. the radiator to melt the solder and then pull- The foregoing and other features of the ing the headers from the tubes. Preferably,

invention are hereinafter more fully set forth however, the separation is effected mechaniand are particularly defined in the appended cally to avoid the necessity of heating the claims. lVhile other means may be emradiator, by sawing or shearing through the tubes in planes closely adjacent the walls of the radiators into which the ends of the tubes extend, as indicated by the lines f-f and gg respectively of Fig. 7. Then by the application of pressure to the plates, one or two at a time, and to the portions of the edges of the plates in alignment with the spaces between the transverse rows of tubes, the plates are torn along the lines of the transverse rows and so stripped from the tubes.

This method of mechanically separating the plates and tubes is preferably carried out by the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inelusive. Such apparatus comprises opposite side frames 10 connected bv one or more suitable transverse members 11 and having a horizontal supporting bed plate 12 at one end and adjacent its upper portion. This bed plate is mounted upon flanges 13 and 1- formed upon the side frames 10 and upon the upper end of the adjacent transverse n ember 11. A horizontal U-shaped guide frame 15 is mounted on the bed plate between a pair of longitudinal guide bars 16 and is movable lengthwise over the bed and beneath a trans verse angle bar 17 which is secured at its ends to the upper edges of the side frames 10. Preferably, as shown, the guide frame 15 is provided with racks 18 which mesh with gears 19 on a transverse feed shaft 20. The latter is connected by a pair of bevel gears 21 to a longitudinally extending shaft 22 having a crank disk or wheel 23 on its outer nd.

The radiator, after the headers have been removed and the ends of the supporting bar 6 cut ofi, is placed within the guide frame 15 with the tubes extending longitudinally thereof and the plates disposed in vertical planes, extending between the side members of the guiding frame and resting on the bed plate 12. The frame 15 is open at its inner end and its side members, as shown in Fig. 2, are preferably provided with inturned lugs 24 to hold the radiator against displacement. Then by rotating the feed shaft 20 by means of the drive shaft 22 and hand wheel 23, the radiator is fed inwardly into the path of the strippers which are moved past the inner end of the bed plate.

The strippers are preferably in the form of wedge-shaped teeth 25 formed or mounted upon the peripheral portions of a series of rotatable disks 26. The latter are mounted in spaced relation upon a transverse shaft 28 that is journaled in suitable bearings on the side frames 10 and is provided with means (not shown) for rotating it and the stripping disks in forward direction, as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2. The spacing and width of the strippers and disks are such that, as

' indicated in Figs. l and 5, they will pass between the transverse rows of tubes of the radiator as the latter is advanced over the bed 12. Preferably the width of the stripping teeth is substantially as indicated in Fig.

5; that is to say, somewhat less than that of the spaces between the transverse rows of tubes. The strippers on the different disks are arranged in horizontal alignment so that, as the disks are rotated in forward direction and the radiator fed forwardly over the inner edge of the bed plate, one set of stripping teeth will engage one or two of the plates and simultaneously apply pressure to the edge portions thereof in alignment with the spaces between the transverse rows of tubes. The path of movement of the pointed ends of the strippers 25 is indicated by dot and dash line in Fig. 1, and it is noted that pressure is applied to the portions of the plates between the transverse rows of tubes in a direction edgewise of the plates or transversely of the tubes and to some extent longitudinally of the tubes. The effect of this application of pressure is to tear the plates along the lines of the transverse rows of tubes, as indicated by the dotted lines it in Fig. 5, and the brass plates are thus torn and stripped quite cleanly from the copper tubes.

Preferably, for effective operation, the edges of the forward faces of the wedgeshaped strippers or teeth 25 are concave as shown, and the rear faces convex, and the spacing of the sets of strippers or teeth on the disks is at least equal to the width of the radiator plates, so that only one transverse set of strippers will be in operation at one time. While the points of the wedge-shaped strippers are preferably quite sharp to enter between the spaced plates, their other edges are not sharp. That is to say, the working faces are quite wide and blunt, so that the strippers tear the plates and do not cut them.

As the plates are progressively acted upon and torn and stripped from the tubes, the latter are held in position by the remaining plates which rest upon the bed 12 and these plates are held in position by the transverse bar 17 that extends over and engages the upper edges of some of the plates, as most clearly indicated in Fig. 4. In separating the plates and tubes of a radiator having no transverse bar 6, the plates are prefen ably stripped from substantially one-half of the radiator and the latter is then reversed in position, and the remaining or nearly all of the remaining plates are stripped therefrom. If the radiator section has one of the supporting bars, the brass plates on one side of this bar can be stripped from the tubes and then the radiator section can be reversed in position and the plates on the other side stripped.

Fig. 6 shows an apparatus in which a single set of strippers 25 are mounted upon a vertically reciprocating bar 28 guided in uprights 29 on the main frame and connected by links 30 to a crankshaft 31, so that by driving the crankshaft the strippers are vertically reciprocated. Preferably, however, the strippers are mounted on rotary disks, as shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, but, when so arranged, it is desirable that the guiding bed 12 should be so located and the stripping disks of such size that the movement of the teeth in applying pressure to the plates to strip them from the tubes is, as indicated in the dot and dash line in Fig. i, in a direction transversely of the tubes and only to a sl it extent longitudinally thereof. It is noted, however, that the wedge-shaped workaces of the strippers which are inclined e paths of movement thereof, not only he edgewise pressure to the plates, to tend to move the portions of the ates engaged thereby longitudinally of the .nd this operation and the effect of Q pressure i this way facilitates or" the plates and the stripping Oi t lates from the tubes. To prevent the pressure of the strippers on the plates from bending the tubes, the supportbed should extend closely adjacent the path or" movement of the strippers.

As stated, the improved apparatus herein set forth is described and claimed in the above mentioned edpending application, Serial No. 167,337. Other means may be employed in carrying out the present method and the details set forth may be varied without departure from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

T claim as my invention:

i. 'lhe method of separating the plates from the tubes of automobile radiators which consists in progressively applying edgewise pressure so the plates to tear the same and strip them from the tubes passing therethrough while holding the tubes in position by the remaining plates.

2. The method of separating the plates of automobile radiators from the transverse and longitudinal rows of tubes passing through the plates, which consists in applying pressure to the plates to tear them along the lines of the transverse rows of tubes and strip them from the tubes.

3. The method of separating the plates of automobile radiators from the longitudinal and transverse rows of tubes passing through the plates, which consists in progressively applying pressure to the plates, both transversely and longitudinally of the tubes to tear the plates along the lines of the transverse rows of tubes and strip the plates from the tubes.

The method of separating the plates of automobile radiators from the rows oi tubes passing therethrough, which comprises ap plying edgewise pressure to the portions of the plates between the rows of tubes to tear the plates and strip them from the tubes.

5. The method of reclaiming automobile radiators formed of headers, connecting tubes and heat-radiating plates on the tubes, which comprises removing the headers and then mechanically separating the plates and tubes by the application of pressure to the portions of the longitudinal edges of the plates in alignment with the spaces between the rows of tubes, to tear the plates along the lines of such rows and strip them from the tubes.

5. The method of mechanically separating the plates and tubes of discarded automobile radiators, which comprises applying pressure to the plates, one or two at a time, and simultaneously to spaced portions of each plate in alignment with the spaces between the transverse rows of tubes and in a direction both transversely and longitudinally of the tubes, to tear the plates along the lines of the transverse rows of tubes and strip the plates therefrom.

ARCHIBALD O. MASON. 

